Mahoning County sheriff office command staffer gets 10-day suspension

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene today suspended Maj. Jeffery Allen for 10 days for not following procedure in the traffic stop involving county Auditor Michael Sciortino on May 26.

Commander T.J. Assion was also disciplined. The sheriff demoted him immediately to sergeant, which results in a $20,000 pay cut. It was Assion who arrived on the scene after getting a call from Allen. Assion drove Sciortino home after the traffic stop.

Sgt. James Touville was also disciplined for inappropriate behavior in handling the call. It was Touville who stopped Sciortino in Canfield Township at 11:35 p.m. May 26 on U.S. Route 224 east of Raccoon Road. Touville, a union member, will go through the disciplinary process as outlined in the union contract.

The case was investigated by the Summit County Sheriff's Office at Sheriff Greene's request.

"I don't want this to ever happen again. I want to set the bar high so this doesn't happen again," Greene said. Greene said Assion told him he let "me down and his family down." "Hopefully, he'll one day be able to regain my trust," the sheriff said.

Sciortino has already paid a $50 fine and $80 in court costs to Mahoning County Area Court in Canfield,